Philippa of Catania
Painted by Jean Fouquet (1458).
Philippa of Catania, also known as Philippa the Catanian or Filippa Catanese (died in 1345), was a Sicilian woman of low birth who became an influential figure in the royal court of the Kingdom of Naples.
Early life
[edit]Born in Catania, Philippa was a local fisherman's daughter.[1][2] Boccaccio, who met her when she was already an elderly woman, noticed that she was "attractive in manner and appearance".[2] She worked as a washerwoman when Robert, Duke of Calabria—son of Charles II, King of Naples—invaded Catania in 1328.[2] His wife, Violante of Aragon, accompanied him to the military campaign.[2] After discovering her pregnancy, Violante had to hire local staff and she chose Philippa as a wet nurse for her son, Charles.[2] Philippa was a diligent servant, and Violante brought her back to Naples after her husband had been forced to withdraw his troops from Sicily.[2]
Career and fall
[edit]Philippa was married off to Raymond de Campagne, a former slave of Ethiopian origin.[1][3] Being Charles II's favorite and a successful military commander, Raymond had become one of the wealthiest landowners in the Kingdom of Naples.[3]
Philippa and her granddaughter, Sancia de' Cabanni, were accused of participating in the murder of Andrew, Duke of Calabria.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Devisse & Mollat 1979, p. 146.
- ^ a b c d e f Goldstone 2009, p. 31.
- ^ a b Goldstone 2009, p. 32.
- ^ Casteen 2015, p. 47.
Sources
[edit]- Casteen, Elizabeth (2015). From She-Wolf to Martyr: The Reign and Disputed Reputation of Johanna I of Naples. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-5386-1.
- Goldstone, Nancy (2009). The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily. Walker&Company. ISBN 978-0-8027-7770-6.
- Devisse, Jean; Mollat, Michel (1979). "The Appeal to the Ethiopian". In Bindman, David; Gates, Henry Louis Jr. (eds.). The Image of Black in Western Art, Volume II: From the Early Christian Era to the "Age of Discovery", Part 2: Africans in the Christian Ordinance of the World. Menil Foundation. pp. 83–152. ISBN 978-0-674-05258-1.